v. 


itfeKi?: 


LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF 
CALIFORNIA 


PERSONAL  NARRATIVES 


OF  EVENTS  IN  THE 


WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION, 

BEING  PAPERS  READ  BEFORE  THE 

RHODE  ISLAND  SOLDIERS  AND  SAILORS 

HISTORICAL  SOCIETY. 
No.  7.         .  SECOND  SERIES. 


PROVIDENCE  : 
N.     BANGS     WILLIAMS     &     CO. 

1880. 


Copyrighted  by 
BANGS    WILLIAMS. 

1880. 


REMINISCENCES 


OP 


TWO  YEARS  WITH  THE  COLORED  TROOPS. 


BY 


J.    M.  jADDEMABT, 

[LATE  CAPTAIN  FOURTEENTH  K.  i.  HEAVY  ARTILLERY,  COLORED.] 


PROVIDENCE : 
N.     BANGS     WILLIAMS     &     CO. 

1880. 


Copyrighted  by 
BA^TGS    WILLIAMS. 

1880. 


PRINTED   BY   E.    L.    FREEMAN    &   CO. 


REMINISCENCES  OF  TWO  YEARS 


WITH   THE 


COLORED   TROOPS. 


THE  circumstances  attending  the  organizing  of  a 
colored  regiment  in  this  State  are  well  remembered. 
In  the  summer  of  1863,  white  men  were  DO  longer 
eager  to  enlist  for  a  war  the  end  of  which  none  could 
foresee;  but  nevertheless  the  war  must  be  prosecuted 
with  vigor;  another  draft  was  impending  and  the 
State's  quota  must  be  filled.  With  difficulty  Gover 
nor  Smith  obtained  permission  to  organize  a  company, 
and,  as  this  rapidly  filled,  then  a  battalion,  and 
finally  a  full  regiment  of  twelve  companies  of  colored 
men  for  heavy  artillery  duty.  In  common  with  many 
others  I  did  not  at  the  outset  look  with  particular 
favor  upon  the  scheme.  But  with  some  hesitation  I 


€80 


6  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO    YEARS 

accepted  an  appointment  from  the  State  as  a  second 
lieutenant  and  reported  for  duty  at  Camp  Smith,  on 
the  Dexter  Training  Ground,  in  this  city.  After 
serving  here  for  some  weeks  in  the  fall  of  1863,  in 
the  organizing  of  companies  and  forwarding  them  to 
Dutch  Island,  where  the  regiment  was  in  camp,  I 
successfully  passed  an  examination  before  what  was 
known  as  "  Casey's  Board,"  and  after  some  prelim 
inary  service  with  a  company  of  the  third  battalion, 
was  assigned  to  the  command  of  Company  H  of  the 
second  battalion,  with  whose  fortunes  my  lot  was 
cast  till  the  close  of  our  term  of  service.  On  the 
turtle-backed  crown  of  Dutch  Island  we  remained 
amid  fierce  storms  and  the  howling  winds  that  swept 
with  keen  edge  over  the  waters  of  the  Narragansett, 
until  the  20th  of  January,  1864,  when,  as  I  was  about 
to  make  a  visit  home,  the  transport,  Daniel  Webster, 
appeared  in  the  harbor  and  orders  were  issued  to 
prepare  for  embarking  on  the  following  day.  At  the 
time  appointed,  we  were  on  board,  but  the  sutler's 
arrangements  were  not  completed  until  early  the 
next  morning,  when  we  got  up  steam  and  were  soon 
out  of  sight  of  our  familiar  camp. 


WITH  THE  COLORED  TROOPS.  7 

The  incidents  of  the  voyage  it  is  not  necessary  to 
recite  to  any  comrade  whose  chance  it  was  to  make 
a  trip  in  an  army  transport,  which  had  long  since 
seen  its  better  days,  and  which  had  been  practically 
condemned  before  Uncle  Sam  found  for  it  such  profit 
able  use.  The  men  packed  like  sheep  in  the  hold, 
the  officers,  though  far  better  off  as  to  quarters, 
yet  crowded  too  much  for  convenience  and  com 
fort,  the  inevitable  sea-sickness,  the  scanty  rations, 
and  what  was  worse,  the  extreme  scarcity  of  water, 
were  annoyances  but  the  counterpart  of  those  en 
dured  by  many  brave  men  who  preceded  and  followed 
us  to  the  scene  of  duty.  But  in  the  main  the  weath 
er  favored  us,  and  on  the  hurricane  deck  we  spent 
the  hours  off  duty,  gazing  far  across  the  illimitable 
waste  of  waters,  as  day  after  day  we  approached  a 
warmer  clime  with  its  glowing  sunshine  and  glitter 
ing  waves  and  the  deep  blue  sky  bending  down  in 
unbroken  circle  around  us.  The  rebel  cruisers  were 
then  in  the  midst  of  their  destructive  work  and  it 
was  natural,  as  we  caught  sight  of  a  distant  vessel, 
to  speculate  whether  it  was  a  friendly  or  a  hostile 
craft.  When  we  were  in  the  latitude  of  Charleston, 


8  REMINISCENCES   OF   TWO   YEARS 

a  steamer  appeared  in  the  far  distance,  then  a  flash, 
a  puff  of  smoke  and  a  loud  report  notified  us  that  it 
was  sending  us  its  compliments.  It  approached 
nearer,  a  boat  put  out  and  officers  from  the  gunboat 
Connecticut  came  on  board,  examined  our  papers  and 
soon  allowed  us  to  proceed.  The  weather  rapidly 
grew  warmer  and  our  winter  clothing  proved  very 
uncomfortable.  The  steamer's  supply  of  water  was 
exhausted  and  we  had  to  depend  on  sea- water,  dis 
tilled  by  the  vessel's  boilers,  for  all  uses.  The  allow 
ance  of  an  officer  was,  I  think,  a  pint  a  day.  Warm 
and  insipid,  its  only  use,  as  I  remember,  was  for  our 
morning  ablutions,  which  were  more  a  matter  of  form 
than  of  substance.  In  rounding  the  coast  of  Florida 
we  bumped  one  evening  on  a  sand  bar  or  coral  reef. 
I  was  very  unceremoniously  tumbled  over,  and  the 
game  of  back- gammon,  in  which  I  was  engaged  with 
a  brother  officer,  was  of  course,  ended  at  once.  Rush 
ing  on  deck  we  found  ourselves  clear  of  the  obstruc 
tion  and  again  on  our  way.  But  the  breakers,  in 
plain  sight,  gave  us  assurance  of  the  peril  we  had  so 
narrowly  escaped. 

In    the    early   morning   of  February   second   we 


WITH   THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  9 

crossed  the  bar  and  noted  well  that  line  stretch 
ing  far  to  the  right  and  left  of  us,  drawn  with  al 
most  mathematical  exactness,  Which  marked  the 
demarcation  between  the  clear  waters  of  the  Gulf 
and  the  turbid  waters  of  the  Mississippi.  In  go 
ing  up  the  river  the  buckets  were  constantly  drop 
ped  into  the  muddy  stream,  and  their  contents, 
when  allowed  to  stand  for  a  few  minutes,  would  soon 
furnish  an  abundance  of  that  luxury  we  all  craved 
so  much, — clear  water,  cooled  by  the  ice  and  snows 
of  the  far  north.  Reaching  the  inhabited  portions  of 
the  river,  we  saw  the  planters  busy  with  their  spring 
work,  and  though  the  air  was  chilled  with  the  icy 
breath  of  northern  climes,  the  orange  trees  in  blos 
som  and  the  green  shrubbery  on  the  shores,  gave  in 
dication  of  the  semi-tropical  climate  we  had  reach 
ed.  Arriving  at  New  Orleans  in  due  season,  our 
senior  captain  reported  for  orders.  I  must  not  pause 
to  speak  of  the  strange  scenes  which  greeted  our 
eyes  in  this,  the  most  cosmopolitan  city  of  our  land. 
A  delay  here  of  two  or  three  days  proved  almost  as 
demoralizing  as  a  campaign,  and  I,  for  one,  was  glad 
when  the  orders  came  to  move.  For  reasons  that  af- 


10  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO   YEARS 

terwards  transpired,  we  dropped  down  the  stream 
some  fifteen  miles  to  a  point  called  English  Turn.  It 
derived  its  name,  as  I  remember  the  tradition,  from 
the  fact  that  as  the  commander  of  some  English  ves 
sel  was  slowly  making  his  way  up  what  was  then  an 
unknown  and  perhaps  unexplored  body  of  water,  he 
was  met  by  some  French  explorer,  coming  from  the 
opposite  direction,  who  gave  him  to  understand  that 
all  the  country  he  had  seen  in  coming  up  the  river, 
was,  by  prior  discovery,  the  rightful  possession  of 
the  French  monarch.  Though  no  Frenchman  had 
perhaps  seen  it,  yet  with  his  facile  tongue  he  worked 
persuasion  in  the  mind  of  the  bluff  Englishman,  who 
at  this  point,  turned  about  and  put  out  to  sea — hence 
its  name,  English  Turn.  We  found  here  relics  of 
very  early  times  in  the  form  of  an  old  earthwork, 
and  an  angle  of  a  brick  wall,  built,  when,  and  wheth 
er  by  French  or  Spaniard,  none  could  tell.  Here  we 
soon  selected  a  site  and  laid  out  our  camp.  The 
time  rapidly  passed  in  the  busy  occupations  which 
each  day  brought,  in  little  excursions  into  the  sur 
rounding  country,  in  conversations  with  the  colored 
people  whose  sad  memories  of  the  old  slavery  days 


WITH   THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  11 

recalled  so  vividly  the  experiences  of  Uncle  Tom 
and  bis  associates  in  Mrs.  Stowe's  famous  tale.  Nor 
were  the  days  unvaried  by  plenty  of  fun.  Music, 
vocal  and  instrumental,  we  had  in  abundance.  The 
mimic  talents  of  our  men,  led  to  the  performance  of 
a  variety  of  entertainments,  and  in  their  happy-go- 
easy  dispositions,  their  troubles  set  very  lightly  on 
them.  Their  extravagancies  of  expression  were  by 
no  means  an  unremarkable  feature.  When  I  at  first 
heard  their  threats  to  each  other,  couched  sometimes 
in  the  most  diabolical  language,  I  had  deemed  it  my 
duty  at  once  to  rush  into  the  company  street  and 
prevent  what,  among  white  men,  I  would  suppose  to 
be  the  prelude  to  a  bloody  fight.  u  Oh,  Captain," 
would  be  the  explanation,  "  we'se  only  a  foolin'." 

While  here,  we  had  a  little  flurry  of  snow,  which 
reminded  us  of  what  we  had  left  in  abundance  be 
hind,  but  which  was  a  startling  novelty  to  the  na 
tives,  few,  if  any,  of  whom,  had  ever  seen  anything 
like  it  before.  Their  explanation  was  that  the  Yan 
kees  had  brought  it  with  them.  In  the  course  of  a 
week  or  two,  an  assistant  Inspector- General  put  in 
an  appearance  and  gave  us  a  pretty  thorough  over- 


12  REMINISCENCES   OF   TWO   YEARS 

hauling:  but  what  astonished  him  the  most,  was  to 
find  us  in  so  healthy  a  condition ;  for  it  appeared 
that  because  of  a  few  cases  of  measles  on  board 
ship,  we  had  been  represented  as  being  in  very  bad 
shape,  and  it  was  for  sanitary  reasons  that  we  were 
sent  to  English  Turn. 

We  now  began  to  hope  for  some  change.  The 
place  was  decidedly  unhealthy.  Our  men  were 
dropping  off  rapidly  from  a  species  of  putrid  sore 
throat  which  was  very  prevalent.  The  soil  was  so 
full  of  moisture  that  we  had  to  use  the  levee  for  a 
burial  ground.  Elsewhere  a  grave  dug  two  feet  deep 
would  rapidly  fill  with  water,  and  to  cover  a  coffin 
decently,  it  was  necessary  that  two  men  should  stand 
on  it,  while  the  extemporized  sextons  completed 
their  task. 

Washington's  birthday  was  duly  celebrated,  and 
foot-ball,  wheel-barrow  and  sack  races,  among  other 
sports,  furnished  fun  for  the  whole  camp.  Even  the 
inevitable  greased  pig  was  provided,  but  he  was  so 
greasy  that  he  got  over  the  lines  into  the  swamps 
and — freedom. 

Our  battalion  commander,  Major  Shaw,  arrived  on 


WITH   THE   COLORED   TROOPS.  13 

the  third  of  March,  and  on  the  following  day,  it  was 
my  good  fortune  to  witness,  in  New  Orleans,  the  in 
auguration  of  Gov.  Hahn,  who,  by  some  form  of  elec 
tion,  had  been  chosen  the  chief  executive.  The  un 
clouded  sky,  the  rich  foliage  and  the  beautiful  at 
mosphere,  combined  to  make  a  glorious  day,  and  the 
spectacular  arrangements  were  in  keeping.  The 
place  was  Lafayette  Square.  Flags  of  all  nations 
waved  in  the  breeze.  In  seats,  arranged  tier  above 
tier,  were  five  thousand  school  children  of  the  city, 
dressed  in  white  with  ribbons  and  sashes  of  the  na 
tional  colors,  while  many  thousands  of  the  citizens 
were  gathered  as  spectators.  Patriotic  songs  were 
sung  by  the  little  folks;  five  hundred  musicians  filled 
the  air  with  sweet  sounds,  and  in  the  anvil  chorus 
which  was  sung,  fifty  sons  of  Vulcan  kept  time  on  as 
many  veritable  anvils ;  while  some  half  dozen  bat 
teries  of  artillery  came  in  heavy  on  the  choruses. 
These  were  fired  simultaneously  by  an  electrical  ar 
rangement  ;  and  the  whole  was  under  charge  of  P. 
S.  Gilmore,  a  name  not  now  unknown  to  fame  in 
grand  musical  combinations.  An  elaborate  address 


14  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO    YEARS 

by  General  Banks,  then  commanding  the  department, 
was  an  interesting  feature  of  the  occasion. 

Our  life  at  English  Turn,  was  varied  by  little  of 
special  interest.  Of  course  there  was  no  enemy  at 
hand  except  those  foes  which  a  hot  climate  breeds 
so  rapidly.  A  mysterious  order  came  one  day,  to 
detail  one  hundred  men  "  to  join  the  expedition," 

and  we  were   notified  that  a  steamer  would   call  for 

/ 

them  on  the  morrow.  Details  of  picked  men  were 
selected  from  each  company.  Five  days7  rations  and 
forty  rounds  of  ammunition,  were  dealt  out  to  each, 
and  in  light  marching  order  they  waited  several 
days  for  the  steamer  to  appear.  It  was  in  vain, 
however,  and  we  reluctantly  gave  up  the  prospect  of 
some  little  excitement.  We  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  somebody  at  headquarters  had  forgotten  to 
countermand  the  order,  or,  like  Mr.  Toots,  had 
deemed  it  of  no  consequence. 

We  discussed  the  varying  prospects  of  change, 
sometimes  coming  as  a  rumor  that  we  should  be  or 
dered  to  Texas,  where  was  the  first  battalion  of  our 
regiment ;  sometimes  that  we  should  join  the  Red 
River  expedition,  which  was  then  forming,  or  the  ex- 


WITH   THE   COLORED   TROOPS.  15 

pedition  against  Mobile  which  was  in  contemplation. 
But  after  six  weeks  delay  at  English  Turn,  we  re 
ceived  orders  to  move  up  the  river  to  Plaquemine,  a 
point  some  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  above  New 
Orleans,  a  few  miles  below  and  on  the  opposite  bank 
from  Baton  Rouge.  This  town  was  at  the  entrance  of 
the  Bayou  Plaquemine,  of  which  Longfellow  makes 
mention  in  the  story  of  Evangeline's  search  for  her 
lover ;  a  description  which  gives  so  good  an  idea  of 
the  bayous  by  which  Louisiana  is  intersected,  that  I 
quote  it  in  this  connection. 

"  They    *    *    *    entering  the  Bayou  of  Plaquemine, 
Soon  were  lost  in  a  maze  of  sluggish  and  devious  waters, 
Which,  like  a  network  of  steel,  extended  in  every  direction. 
Over  their  heads  the  towering   and   tenebrous  boughs  of  the 

cypress 

Waved  like  banners  that  hang  on  the  walls  of  ancient  cathedrals. 
Deathlike  the  silence  seemed,  and  unbroken  save  by  the  herons 
Home  to  their  roosts  in  the  cedar  trees  returning  at  sunset, 
Or  by  the  owl,  as  he  greeted  the  moon  with  demoniac  laughter." 

Here  we  relieved  the  Forty-Second  Ohio,  and  went 
into  camp.  As  we  marched  through  the  streets  of 
the  village  to  the  site  of  our  camp,  the  scowling 
looks  of  the  white  spectators,  sufficiently  indicated 


16  REMINISCENCES   OP   TWO   YEARS 

their  sentiments  and  especially  their  wrath  at  being 
guarded  by  "  niggers." 

We  found  the  state  of  affairs  very  different  from 
the  tranquil  neighborhood  we  had  just  left.  The 
surrounding  country  was  infested  with  guerilla 
bands,  and  in  the  jail  were  a  number  of  rebel  pris 
oners  who  had  been  captured  in  recent  raids.  The 
latter  received  from  the  town's  people  very  gratify 
ing  evidences  of  sympathy,  and  in  their  comparative 
ly  comfortable  quarters  and  abundant  supplies,  af 
forded  a  vivid  contrast  to  the  treatment  received  by 
our  boys  at  Libby  and  Andersonville.  Intimations 
were  quite  freely  expressed  by  the  prisoners,  that 
it  would  soon  be  their  turn  to  guard  us,  and  we  were 
cautioned  by  friends  and  from  headquarters,  to  be  on 
the  alert  against  a  sudden  attack. 

In  the  evening  of  the  day  after  our  arrival,  we 
were  startled  by  a  steamer  approaching  the  landing, 
all  ablaze  from  stem  to  stern.  The  entire  heavens 
seemed  illuminated,  and  it  was  light  enough  to  read 
with  perfect  distinctness.  The  vessel  was  loaded 
with  some  three  thousand  bales  of  cotton,  and  in 
landing  at  a  point  above  us,  the  sparks  from  the 


WITH    THE    COLORED    TROOPS,  17 

torch — a  wire  basket  filled  with  pine  knots,  and  used 
after  dark  to  light  the  loading  and  unloading  of  the 
steamer, — had  set  the  cotton  afire.  The  motion  of 
the  boat  and  the  perfect  draft  from  her  construction, 
peculiar  to  nearly  all  the  river  craft,  of  course  spread 
the  fire  with  great  rapidity,  and  only  time  sufficient 
to  rescue  the  passengers  was  permitted.  The  ves 
sel  had  a  large  freight  of  live  stock,  some  of  which 
escaped  to  the  shore,  but  most  of  them  perished  in 
the  flames,  filling  the  air  with  their  piteous  cries. 
Our  particular  attention  was  devoted  to  our  maga 
zine,  which  was  an  ordinary  store-house  and  exposed 
to  some  danger.  Its  contents  we  could  ill  afford  to 
lose,  and  their  explosion  would  have  made  a  sensa 
tion  much  more  lively  than  even  the  destruction  of 
the  steamer. 

At  Plaquemine  an  earth  work  had  been  begun  by 
our  predecessors.  It  had  four  bastions,  one  of  which 
was  assigned  to  each  of  our  companies.  The  work 
was  in  a  very  incomplete  condition,  and  except  for 
the  protection  its  parapets  afforded,  would  have  been 
of  little  service.  In  the  threatening  aspect  of  af 
fairs,  it  became  necessary  at  once  to  strengthen  our 


18  REMINISCENCES    OP   TWO   YEARS 

defences,  and  under  the  direction  of  an  engineer, 
details  of  men  were  set  to  work,  and  rapid  progress 
was  made. 

In  April  parties  of  guerillas  and  rebel  cavalry  be 
gan  to  operate  actively  in  our  neighborhood.  At  In 
dian  village,  a  few  miles  distant,  they  burned  a  large 
quantity  of  cotton  which  had  been  sent  in  by  plant 
ers  or  collected  by  speculators  and  was  awaiting 
transportation.  About  the  same  time  mysterious 
signals  attracted  our  attention,  and  soon  afterwards, 
we  learned  that  a  body  of  two  hundred  cavalry  had 
crossed  the  Grand  River  for  the  purpose  of  attack 
ing  us.  The  men  slept  on  their  arms,  but  no  attack 
was  made.  A  week  or  two  afterwards,  1  had  occa 
sion  to  visit  New  Orleans  on  business,  and  while 
there,  heard  a  report  that  Plaquemine  was  "  gobbled 
up  "  by  the  rebs.  I  was  very  much  relieved  on  my 
return  to  find  everything  in  statu  quo.  A  raid 
shortly  afterwards  on  Bayou  Goula,  a  trading  sta 
tion  a  few  miles  below  us,  resulted  in  the  destruc 
tion  of  considerable  property,  but  no  captures  of 
prisoners. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  of  May  the  gunboat  54  was 


WITH    THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  19 

sent  to  cruise  on  the  river  in  our  neighborhood, 
and  it  was  a  welcome  reinforcement  to  our  meagre 
numbers.  On  the  twenty-eighth  of  May  the  cavalry 
of  General  Banks'  army,  on  their  retreat  from  the 
Red  River  campaign,  passed  through  our  post,  re 
maining  a  short  time  in  our  vicinity.  Among  them 
was  a. portion  of  our  Third  Rhode  Island  cavalry,  and 
no  hospitality  ever  gave  greater  mutual  pleasure 
than  that  which  it  happened  to  be  in  our  power  then 
to  grant.  The  record  of  that  expedition  has  been 
made  up,  but  there  was  a  refreshing  vigor  of  opinion 
expressed  by  our  comrades  on  the  conduct  of  the 
campaign.  It  seemed  very  lonesome  when  they  left 
us  with  their  commander, — a  true  Rhode  Island  son, 
General  Richard  Arnold. 

Orders  came  within  a  day  or  two  from  Baton 
Rouge,  announcing  a  change  of  commanders  of  the 
district,  and  exhorting  us  to  get  everything  into 
fighting  trim.  It  will  be  remembered  that  flushed 
with  victory  the  rebels  followed  close  on  the  heels  of 
our  retreating  army,  and  were  only  stopped  by  the 
lack  of  transportation  to  cross  the  swift  and  deep 
Atchafalaya.  Of  course  we  presumed  that  they 


20  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO   YEARS 

would  make  one  of  their  raids  down  the  coast  and 
attack  our  post,  and  that  of  Donaldsonville,  some 
twenty-five  miles  below  us,  which  constituted  the 
principal  defences  on  the  river  above  New  Orleans. 
With  the  exception,  however,  of  capturing  some  of 
our  cavalry  pickets,  we  had  no  trouble,  though  fre 
quent  alarms  kept  us  on  the  qui  vive.  The  beating 
of  the  long  roll  was  almost  a  nightly  occurrence;  but 
this  I  should  not  mention  to  soldiers,  except  to  refer 
to  an  instance  that  now  occurs  to  me  in  illustration 
of  the  rapidity  of  the  mind's  movements,  at  times. 
About  the  time  of  the  raids  on  our  northern  frontier, 
I  was  dreaming  one  night,  that  we  were  ordered 
home  to  proceed  at  once  to  some  point  on  the  bor 
der.  All  the  movements  incident  to  our  departure 
and  to  our  arrival  at  Providence,  were  before  me. 
As  we  were  halting  in  Exchange  Place,  with  arms 
stacked  and  men  at  ease,  I  obtained  permission  to  go 
home  for  a  few  minutes  to  see  my  family,  to  whom 
our  arrival  was  unknown,  when  the  roll  sounded  and 
we  were  ordered  to  fall  in  at  once  to  take  the  train. 
Of  course  my  momentary  disappointment  was  great, 
but  awaking  at  once,  I  heard  the  drums  beating  in 


WITH   THE   COLORED   TROOPS.  21 

reality,  and  jumping  into  my  outer  clothing  and 
equipments  in  a  hurry,  was  shortly  at  the  head  of  my 
company.  The  first  beat  of  the  drum  had  probably 
started  the  long  train  of  the  incidents  of  my  dream. 
In  the  midst  of  these  rumors  of  attack,  in  the  early 
morning  of  August  sixth  we.  were  visited  by  a  body 
of  mounted  men.  They  dashed  upon  our  pickets 
who  made  a  bold  stand  for  a  short  time,  and  then 
scattered  for  shelter.  The  rebels  had  caught  sight  of 
the  officer,  Lieutenant  Aldrich,  who  was  in  command, 
and  while  a  part  of  them  made  diligent  search  for 
him,  the  remainder  dashed  into  the  town,  and  break 
ing  up  into  parties  raided  through  the  various  streets, 
firing  somewhat  indiscriminately,  but  more  particu 
larly  at  what  contrabands  they  saw.  The  companies 
gathered  in  their  respective  bastions  in  the  fort  and 
we  expected  a  lively  brush.  As  I  stood  on  the  par 
apet  and  got  a  glimpse  of  a  portion  of  the  enemy,  I 
ached  to  let  fly  a  shell,  but  the  danger  to  innocent 
parties  was  too  great  to  warrant  it  just  then.  I  re 
member  how  amused  I  was  at  the  appearance  of  the 
gallant  commander  of  our  post,  as  with  his  coat  and 
equipments  in  one  hand,  and  holding  up  his  nether 


22  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO    YEARS 

garments  in  the  other,  he  was  "  double-quicking  " 
from  his  quarters  in  the  town,  to  a  place  of  security 
in  the  fort.  After  that  he  selected  quarters  nearer  us. 
The  prospect  of  being  "  gobbled  up  "  was  not  partic 
ularly  gratifying,  especially  to  a  "nigger"  officer, 
who  had  Fort  Pillow .  memories  in  mind.  As  the 
rebels  did  not  appear  to  be  corning  to  us,  a  strong 
detachment  under  command  of  Adjutant  Barney,  was 
sent  out  to  exchange  compliments  with  them.  They 
gave  us  no  opportunity  for  this  but  soon  retired, 
taking  with  them  three  of  our  pickets  and  one  caval 
ry  vidette,  whom  they  had  captured.  We  under 
stood,  the  next  day,  that  our  men  were  shot  in  cold 
blood.  Lieutenant  Aldrich  and  the  men  with  him, 
escaped  through  the  friendly  protection  of  an  osage 
orange  grove.  Others  swam  the  bayou  and  thus  es 
caped  certain  death  if  captured.  1  think  our  casual 
ties  were,  besides  those  taken  prisoners,  one  man 
killed  and  a  few  wounded.  Several  of  the  rebels 
were  said  to  be  killed  or  wounded.  One  of  the  lat 
ter,  as  I  remember,  fell  into  our  hands  and  was  taken 
into  our  hospital  where  he  received  the  same  treat 
ment  as  our  own  men.  Subsequently  we  learned 


WITH   THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  23 

that  the  raiders  were  Texans  who  boastfully  declared 
that  they  asked  no  quarter  and  gave  none.  In  con 
sequence  of  the  barbarous  treatment  of  our  men  who 
were  captured,  some  correspondence  passed  between 
General  Banks  and  the  rebel  commander,  but  I  am 
not  aware  that  it  amounted  to  anything. 

On  the  eighteenth  a  scouting  party  of  our  cavalry 
was  captured  at  Grand  River  and  others  in  our  nearer 
vicinity.  We  had  two  companies  of  the  Thirty-first 
Massachusetts  mounted  infantry,  who  were  used  for 
for  vidette  duty.  Being  more  exposed  than  our  own 
pickets  they  suffered  occasionally  from  guerilla  raids. 
One  party  of  them,  were  surprised,  probably  in  con 
sequence  of  a  little  carelessness,  and  were  taken 
prisoners  with  the  exception  of  one  man  who  was 
killed.  He  had  been  a  prisoner  once  before  and 
fought  to  the  last,  rather  than  again  be  captured. 
On  some  of  these  occasions  the  attacking  parties 
were  dressed  in  our  own  uniform. 

All  through  the  country  back  of  us,  a  constant  and 
merciless  conscription  was  going  on,  sweeping  in  all 
able-bodied  men  between  fifteen  and  sixty  years  of 


24  REMINISCENCES    OF    TWO    YEARS 

age.    Of  course  many  refugees  and  occasional- desert 
ers  came  within  our  lines. 

During  the  fall  of  1864  we  received  from  time  to 
time  re-inforcements  of  several  companies  of  colored 
engineer  troops,  who  continued  the  work  on  the  fort 
which  we  had  begun.  Though  not  comparing  with 
the  arduou^ness  of  field  service,  our  duties  were  by 
no  means  slight.  It  must  be  remembered  that  we 
were  in  a  semi-tropical  country,  where  to  an  unaccli- 
mated  person  the  climate  was  itself  almost  a  deadly 
foe.  The  extreme  heat  produced  a  lethargy  that  was 
depressing  in  the  extreme.  In  a  few  days  of  dry 
weather,  the  surface  of  the  ground  would  be  baked  like 
a  brick.  Then  would  come  most  violent  storms,  con 
verting  the  soil  into  a  quagmire  and  covering  it  with 
water  like  a  lake.  At  this  time,  there  was  no  small 
danger  of  falling  into  the  deep  ditches  with  which 
the  fields  were  intersected,  for  drainage.  In  this  way 
I  lost  one  man  of  my  company.  Of  course  it  will  be 
understood  how  productive  of  disease  would  be  the 
malaria  from  the  soil  and  the  adjacent  swamps.  Our 
men  with  all  their  buoyancy  of  disposition,  had  not 
the  resolute  will  of  white  men,  when  attacked  by 


WITH   THE   COLORED   TROOPS.  25 

sickness,  and  would  succumb  with  fatal  rapidity.  As 
captain  of  a  company,  my  most  arduous  duty,  when 
not  on  special  duty  or  detached  service,  was  as  field 
officer  of  the  day.  This  necessitated  the  visiting  oc 
casionally  during  the  day  arid  night,  our  videttes  and 
picket  posts  which  were  stationed  on  the  roads  into 
the  country,  and  at  intersecting  points  in  the  fields ; 
and  also  crossing  in  a  skiff  the  Mississippi  river,  to 
visit  the  troops  stationed  to  guard  a  telegraph  sta 
tion  on  the  other  side.  This  station  was  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  a  famous  duelling  ground, — a  path  not  far 
from  the  river  bank, — to  which  in  former  days  the 
young  bloods  of  the  town  and  vicinity  would  resort  to 
repair  their  wounded  honor,  according  to  the  rules  of 
the  code.  As  we  were  too  short  of  horses  always  to 
furnish  a  mounted  orderly,  the  officer  of  the  day 
would  at  night,  have  to  make  his  rounds  alone. 
There  was  a  picturesqueness  in  those  rides  in  the 
solemn  hours  of  the  night,  a  portion  of  the  way  over 
deserted  plantations  where  the  weeds  would  be  as 
high  as  one's  head  on  horseback,  the  path  at  times 
fringing  the  borders  of  swamps  where  the  moss  hung 
in  festoons  from  the  stately  cypress  trees,  past  lonely 


26  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO   YEARS 

negro  cabins,  where  sometimes  I  heard  the  inmates 
in  the  midnight  hours,  singing  some  plaintive  melo 
dy  in  tones  the  most  subdued. 

In  addition  to  our  routine  work,  our  officers  were 
largely  detailed  for  staff,  court-martial  and  other  du 
ties.  The  frequent  attempts  at  smuggling  contra 
band  goods  through  our  lines,  also  necessitated  mili 
tary  commissions  for  the  trial  of  these  as  well  as  va 
rious  other  civil  offences, — on  which  duty  some  of  us 
were  always  engaged.  As  a  consequence,  we  were 
always  short-handed,  and  tours  of  duty  came  as  often 
as  was  agreeable.  The  fall  months  of  1864  were 
marked  by  occasional  raids  in  our  vicinity,  with  or 
ders,  at  times,  to  sleep  on  our  arms.  The  capture  of 
a  large  supply  of  revolvers,  which  were  surrepti 
tiously  landed  near  us,  indicated  the  necessity  of 
strictly  guarding  the  lines,  and  at  the  same  time,  fur 
nish  those  of  us  who  needed  them,  an  ample  supply 
of  that  weapon. 

During  this  period,  we  organized  schools  for  the 
instruction  of  our  men.  While  some  of  them  were 
comparatively  well  educated  and  were  very  service 
able  in  various  kinds  of  clerical  work,  a  large  propor- 


WITH   THE   COLORED    TROOPS.  27 

tion  of  them  were  destitute  of  the  most  rudimentary 
knowledge.  Through  the  Christian  Commission,  of 
which  Ex-Mayor  J.  V.  C.  Smith,  of  Boston,  was  in 
our  department  the  efficient  agent,  we  were  amply 
supplied  with  various  kinds  of  books  and  utensils, 
embracing  primers,  arithmetics,  slates  and  pencils, 
besides  a  liberal  allowance  of  reading  matter.  Our 
men  were  eager  recipients  of  these  and  made  good 
use  of  them.  We  tried  to  stimulate  their  pride  in 
every  way  possible,  and  the  great  majority  of  them 
learned  to  sign  their  names  to  our  rolls  instead  of 
making  their  mark.  I  had  some  pride  in  having  my 
rolls  signed  by  the  men  themselves,  but  I  remember 
one  of  my  men,  however,  whom  I  ineffectually  or 
dered  to  do  this.  He  admitted  to  me  that  he  could 
write,  but  in  consequence  of  some  trouble  he  had  in 
former  years,  got  into  by  the  use  of  the  pen,  he  had 
made  a  vow  never  to  write  again,  or  something  to 
that  effect.  My  impression  is  that  it  was  some  kind 
of  forgery  he  was  engaged  in.  It  is  possible  he  may 
have  been  an  unfortunate  indorser  ;  if  so,  his  deter 
mination  would  not  seem  so  strange. 

At  the  same  time,  we  were  trying  to  make  a  per- 


28  REMINISCENCES    OP   TWO   YEARS 

manent  improvement  in  the  way  above  indicated,  we 
were  troubled  by  difficulties,  which  were  incident  to 
army  life  at  all  times.  Liquor,  of  course,  would 
make  trouble  for  us,  and  1  think  I  never  knew  of  any 
stimulant  more  demoralizing,  in  its  way,  than  Louis 
iana  rum.  This  fiery  fluid  would  arouse  all  the 
furies  in  a  man  when  it  had  him  under  its  control. 
Gambling  was  another  vice  against  which  we  labored 
with  more  or  less  success.  Sometimes,  after  taps,  I 
would  make  a  raid  on  some  of  the  men  who  were 
having  a  quiet  little  game.  When  winter  came,  we 
had  replaced  our  worn  out  tents  with  shanties  built 
from  the  materials  of  confiscated  houses.  These 
would  be  darkened,  and  in  voices  hushed  to  the  low 
est  whisper,  the  men  would  indulge  in  their  favorite 
pastime.  On  one  occasion,  I  remember  that  sudden 
ly  forcing  the  door  open,  I  dropped,  most  unexpect 
edly  to  them,  on  a  small  party  of  gamblers.  As  I 
scooped  in  the  cards  and  the  stakes,  one  of  them  re 
marked  that  it  was  no  use  to  play  against  the  Cap 
tain,  for  he  got  high,  low,  jack  and  the  game. 

In  the  preparations  that  were  making  against  Mo 
bile  in  the  winter  of  1864-5,  we  anticipated  an  op- 


WITH   THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  29 

portunity  to  change  our  comparatively  inactive  life. 
But  General  Sherman  (T.  W.)  said  he  could  not 
spare  us  from  the  important  post  where  we  were  sta 
tioned,  and  it  was  with  regret  that  we  were  deprived 
of  a  share  in  that  brilliant  affair  which  has  been  so 
well  described  in  a  former  paper.  During  this  win 
ter,  the  rebel  forces  in  Western  Louisiana,  under 
command  of  General  Kirby  Smith,  were  compara 
tively  inactive,  though  raiding  parties  gave  us  occa 
sional  trouble.  Towards  spring  they  began  to  move, 
and  attacks  on  parties  of  Union  cavalry  were  not  in 
frequent.  Unpleasant  rumors  of  the  capture  of  the 
Third  Rhode  Island  Cavalry  reached  us,  but  proved 
to  be  unfounded,  except  that  several  couriers  were 
taken.  Some  rebel  prisoners  were  captured  by  the 
scouts,  who  were  encamped  near  us,  but  our  freedom 
from  attack,  was  probably  largely  due  to  the  inun 
dated  condition  of  the  country.  Owing  to  the  neg 
lect  of  the  levees,  the  river  at  its  high  stage  in  the 
spring  following  broke  through  the  embankment 
above  and  overflowed  a  large  tract  of  country  west 
of  us-  A  raid  contemplated  by  the  rebels,  which 
would  have  given  us  sharp  work,  and  a  force  which 


30  REMINISCENCES   OF   TWO    YEARS 

would  have  been  large  enough  to  annihilate  us,  un 
less  in  the  meanwhile  reinforced,  were  prevented  by 
the  condition  of  the  intervening  country,  from  giv 
ing  us  trouble. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  disastrous  effect  of  this 
overflow,  I  am  tempted  to  give  a  brief  description  of 
a  trip  I  made  through  a  portion  of  the  country  that 
suffered  in  this  way.  Before  the  waters  had  sub 
sided,  I  was  ordered  by  Brigadier-General  R.  A. 
Cameron,  commanding  the  district  of  La  Fourche,  in 
which  we  were  located,  to  report  at  his  headquarters 
in  Brashear  City,  for  duty  on  his  staff.  Taking  a 
steamer  to  New  Orleans  and  then  the  train  at  Al 
giers,  which  is  opposite  New  Orleans,  I  proceeded 
very  comfortably  to  a  place  called  Terrebonne,  where 
steam  travel  came  to  a  sudden  stop.  A  hand-car  for 
a  mile  or  two  furnished  transportation  and  then  we 
found  the  railroad  completely  washed  away  by  the 
flood  above  named.  The  General's  quartermaster 
and  myself  secured  a  boat  and  with  a  crew  of  colored 
soldiers,  we  rowed  some  twelve  miles  to  a  place  call 
ed  Tigerville,  on  the  Alligator  bayou.  Our  route  lay 
over  the  bed  of  the  railroad,  the  track  washed  to  one 


WITH    THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  31 

side  of  the  cut,  and  a  stream  of  water  several  feet 
deep  on  top  of  the  bed.  The  road  had  been  built 
through  what  seemed,  most  of  the  way,  a  primeval 
wilderness.  The  rank  growth  which  skirted  both 
sides  of  the  stream,  with  no  sound  to  break  the  si 
lence,  save  the  measured  stroke  of  the  oars,  for  even 
the  birds  which  occasionally  flitted  across  our  path, 
were  songless,  though  of  brilliant  plumage ;  the 
sight  of  an  occasional  moccasin  or  copperhead  snake 
coiled  on  the  stump  of  a  tree,  and  not  infrequently 
of  an  alligator  sunning  himself  on  a  log,  were  fea 
tures  of  a  situation  that  must  be  seen  to  be  fully 
realized.  The  few  small  settlements  through  which 
we  passed,  were  drowned  out.  Some  of  the  houses 
were  nearly  under  water  and  large  quantities  of  de 
bris  were  afloat  on  the  slowly  moving  current. 
Through  the  long  weary  hours  of  our  boat  ride,  the 
sun  poured  its  rays  upon  us  with  unmitigated  fervor. 
Reaching  Tigerville,  we  found  an  ugly  little  stern- 
wheeler]  boat  tied  up  in  what  had  been  one  of  the 
thoroughfares  of  the  village,  and  which  the  quarter 
master  at  once  ordered  to  take  us  to  Brashear  City. 
The  captain  of  the  craft,  incidentally  remarked  that 


32  EEMTNISCENCES   OF    TWO   YEARS 

his  boiler  was  in  bad  shape  and  might  blow  up  at  any 
time.  The  quartermaster  was  willing,  however,  to 
take  the  risk,  and  getting  up  steam,  we  were  soon  on 
our  way.  But  with  the  remark  of  the  captain  in  my 
mind,  as  I  looked  at  the  stagnant  bayou  with  its  wa 
ters  black  as  ink,  and  gazed  off  upon  the  interminable 
swamps  on  either  side,  and  thought  of  the  monsters 
from  which  it  took  its  name,  I  concluded  that  the 
extreme  bow  would  be  a  little  the  safest  place,  and 
taking  passage  on  an  empty  water  cask  I  found 
there,  I  lighted  my  pipe  and  tried  to  feel  as  tran 
quil  as  the  circumstances  above  suggested  would 
permit.  Through  the  winding  bayous,  we  pursued 
our  way  and  sometime  after  dark,  we  safely  reached 
Brashear  City,  or  that  portion  of  it  which  was  visible 
above  the  waste  of  waters.  Speaking  of  the  bayous, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  give  a  clear  conception  of 
their  peculiarities.  Equally  strange  are  the  people 
who  inhabit  those  solitudes.  Time  would  not  per 
mit  me  to  describe  the  "  Cajans " — corruption  of 
"  Acadians," — descendants  of  the  exiles  who  early 
settled  the  territory  of  Louisiana,  but  who  have 
been  driven  from  their  first  places  of  settlement  by 


WITH   THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  33 

those  more  ambitions  and  unscrupulous.  Living  in 
isolated  communities,  with  their  artless  and  unam 
bitious  characteristics,  their  simplicity  arid  exclu- 
siveness,  they  would  furnish  material  enough  for  an 
elaborate  paper. 

Many  reminiscences  occur  to  me  in  connection 
with  my  service  on  General  Cameron's  staff,  but  any 
attempt  to  detail  them  would  transgress  the  proper 
limits  of  a  paper.  In  spite  of  the  surrender  of  Lee 
and  Johnston,  a  show  of  hostilities  was  kept  up  in  the 
trans-Mississippi  department,  it  being  supposed  that 
Jeff  Davis  was  making  his  way  in  that  direction  to 
still  retain  a  semblance  of  power  in  a  country  which 
had  not  felt  the  severest  ravages  of  the  war.  Upon 
his  capture,  however,  the  rebel  army  in  western 
Louisiana,  rapidly  crumbled  to  pieces,  and  while  the 
rank  and  file  were  seeking  their  homes,  the  officers 
were  continually  coming  in  to  our  headquarters,  to 
make  their  peace  formally  with  Uncle  Sam.  Having 
occasion  to  remove  our  headquarters  from  Brashear 
City,  to  a  place  called  Thibodaux,  probably  not  more 
than  fifty  miles  distant  by  rail,  we  were  obliged,  by 
reason  of  the  overflow,  to  take  a  steamer  and  make  a 


34  REMINISCENCES   OF   TWO   YEARS 

circuit  of  some  four  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  going 
up  the  swift  flowing  and  extremely  crooked,  Atcha- 
falaya,  much  of  the  way  through  a  very  desolate 
country,  then  down  the  Red  River  and  the  Mississip 
pi  to  Algiers,  and  thence,  by  rail,  to  our  place  of  des 
tination.  On  our  journey  we  had  the  company  of 
several  rebel  officers,  some  of  high  rank,  who  availed 
themselves  of  the  General's  courtesy  to  reach  the 
Cresent  City.  In  a  few  weeks  the  General  was  mus 
tered  out,  and  soon  afterwards,  I  returned  to  my 
company,  which,  with  the  battalion,  had  in  the  mean 
while,  been  ordered  to  Donaldsonville.  Among  the 
duties  here  assigned  to  me,  was  service  as  Provost 
Marshal  of  the  Parish,  an  office  which  combined  as 
varied  a  responsibility  as  can  well  be  imagined.  In 
certain  civil  cases  I  had,  as  judge,  jury  and  execu 
tioner  of  my  own  decisions,  plenty  of  employment. 
With  an  occasional  call  to  join  in  matrimonial  bonds 
sundry  pairs  of  hearts  that  beat  as  one,  I  had  much 
more  frequent  cause  to  settle  disputes  between 
planters  and  employees,  where  neither  party  was 
disposed  to  meet  the  other  halfway.  Vexatious  and 
varied  as  my  employments  were,  and  anxious  as  I 


WITH   THE    COLORED    TROOPS.  35 

might  be  to  do  justice,  I  was  liable  to  be  overhauled 
by  headquarters  from  misrepresentations  made  by 
angry  and  disappointed  suitors.  One  event  in  my 
administration  of  the  office,  caused  quite  a  sensation 
for  the  day.  In  the  presence  of  a  crowd  of  whites 
and  blacks,  I  heard  a  case  in-  which  a  colored  woman, 
who  had  till  recently  been  a  slave,  was  plaintiff  and 
principal  witness,  and  a  white  man  who  was  defend 
ant,  and  gave  judgment  in  favor  of  the  former.  This 
may  seem  to  you  a  very  simple  matter,  but  it  was 
evidently  no  ordinary  occurrence  in  that  place,  and  I 
presume  this  was  the  first  occasion  in  the  experience 
of  many  of  the  spectators,  in  which  the  sworn  testi 
mony  of  a  negro  was  received  as  against  that  of  a 
white  person.  I  seem  now  to  see  the  glaring  eyes 
of  one  indignant  southron  as  he  scowled  upon  the 
proceedings  with  the  intensest  malignity.  It  was 
not  difficult  to  guess  at  his  opinion  of  the  changed 
order  of  things,  while  to  the  colored  people,  it  was 
evident  that  the  year  of  jubilee  had  come  at  last. 
Thus  with  comparatively  tranquil  incidents,  the  sum 
mer  of  1865  passed  away.  Peace  with  all  its  attend 
ant  blessings,  had  come.  But  disease  laid  its  hands 


36  REMINISCENCES    OF   TWO    YEARS 

heavily  on  some  of  us,  and  death  was  not  an  infre 
quent  visitor  to  officers  as  well  as  men.  From  one 
scourge  of  that  climate,  we  were  fortunately  ex 
empted.  Thanks  to  the  thorough  policing,  on  which 
our  commanding  officers  insisted,  "  Yellow  Jack," 
who  in  former  seasons  had  been  master  of  the  situa 
tion,  gave  us  no  trouble.  But  many  of  our  number,  par 
ticularly  those  of  us  who,  during  the  summer,  were  on 
court-martial  or  other  duty  in  New  Orleans  or  its  vi 
cinity,  had  some  uncomfortable  experiences  with  the 
"  Break-bone  fever,"  a  species  of  malarial  disease, 
whose  name  is  sufficiently  indicative.  The  services 
of  our  regiment  were  sufficiently  appreciated  to  de 
lay  our  muster-out  till  the  second  of  the  following 
October.  The  three  battalions  were  consolidated  at 
Carrollton,  and  a  few  days  after  we  embarked  for 
home  on  the  good  steamer  North  Star.  Some  of  our 
officers  who  took  passage  in  the  ill-fated  Atlanta,  lost 
their  lives  by  the  foundering  of  that  vessel.  In  the 
fearful  storm,  the  beginning  of  which  we  felt  as  we 
passed  the  Jersey  shore,  more  than  a  hundred  ves 
sels  were  wrecked  on  the  coast,  and  among  the  num 
ber  was  the  '  Daniel  Webster,'  which  took  us  from 


WITH  THE  COLORED  TROOPS.  37 

Dutch  Island  to  New  Orleans:  In  New  York  we 
made  a  parade  which  was  witnessed  by  crowds  of 
people  with  apparently  hearty  demonstrations  of  fa 
vor.  On  our  return  home,  we  received  a  cordial 
greeting  from  the  authorities,  and  in  a  few  days  our 
regiment  was  disbanded  at  Portsmouth  Grove  and 
ceased  to  exist  except  in  history. 

It  had  endeavored  to  do  its  duty,  and  by  those 
who  knew  it,  I  believe  it  had  been  fully  appreciated. 
General  Banks  complimented  it  in  orders,  and  so 
strict  a  disciplinarian  as  General  T.  W.  Sherman, 
pronounced  it  a  noble  regiment,  which,  from  that 
source,  is  no  small  praise.  But  though  most  of  its 
officers  had  served  in  former  organizations  during  the 
war,  and  our  lieutenant-colonel  was  also  a  veteran  of 
the  Mexican  war,  and  with  many  of  his  associates 
brought  to  the  discharge  of  their  duties,  the  advan 
tage  of  enlarged  experience,  a  reputation  for  courage 
and  a  high  degree  of  skill,  it  was  not  given  to  the 
regiment  or  its  several  battalions,  to  participate  in 
any  of  those  engagements  or  campaigns,  some  of 
which  it  has  been  the  pride  and  pleasure  of  comrades 
here  to  describe.  It  was,  however,  from  no  hesitation 


38  TWO   YEARS  WITH   THE   COLORED   TROOPS. 

or  unwillingness  of  theirs.  The  call  was  hopefully  ex 
pected  but  disappointedly  unheard.  Yet,  may  they 
not  fairly  claim  to  share  in  the  glory  of  the  result, 
and  to  them  may  not  the  words  of  the  poet  justly 
apply  — 

"  They  also  serve  who  only  stand  and  wait." 


$*if*  rV,  /tk  fif 

ailoi[8  fusforkat  loridg  of  Mode  Island 
y%)  "*[  '*]*'  I  J* 


PERSONAL    NARRATIVES 


OF    EVENTS    TN    THE 


WAR  OF  THE  REBELLION, 


•No.   7.      SECOXD   SERIES. 


REMINISCENCES 


TWO -YEARS  WITH  THE  COLORED  TROOPS, 


BY 


J  .    M  .    A  D  D  E  M  A  N  . 


RETURN     CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 
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LOAN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

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DUE  AS  STAMPED  BELOW 


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